Palestinians begin to arrive at Rafah ahead of border crossing’s reopening

Palestinians begin arriving at the Egyptian side of the Rafah Border Crossing to enter the Gaza Strip, as the crossing is being opened for the first time in over a year, Palestinian media reports.

Yesterday, a day of systems checks and tests was conducted at the crossing, with Israeli authorities saying it would be open today for the passage of pedestrians.

Once the Palestinians returning to Gaza pass through the Rafah Crossing — where a team of Palestinian Authority representatives and monitors from the European Union are stationed — they will undergo a security screening at an IDF checkpoint.

Israel will only supervise the exit of Gazans to Egypt remotely.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says in a statement that Palestinians seeking to leave the Strip for medical treatment abroad will need to do so via the Kerem Shalom Crossing with Israel — a mechanism that has been used throughout the war.

“Regarding the travel of patients through the Rafah crossing, there is no new information at the moment,” the ministry says.

Only Palestinians who left Gaza during the war are being allowed to return to the Strip. According to data from COGAT, some 42,000 Gazans left Gaza during the war, the vast majority of them patients seeking medical treatment abroad or dual citizens.

تغطية مباشرة | هيئة البث الإسرائيلية عن مصادر: ستبدأ اليوم الحركة المنتظمة في معبر #رفح في الاتجاهين pic.twitter.com/EwIUyJB7C2

— الجزيرة مباشر (@ajmubasher) February 2, 2026